Spain, Galicia: Ribeiro Renaissance?
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(/ACCOUNT)HELLO FELLIPE (/ACCOUNT) 0 LOG OUT (/) WINE ADVOCATE HEDONIST'S GAZETTE (/ARTICLES/THE-WINE-ADVOCATE) (HTTPS://HEDONISTGAZETTE.ROBERTPARKER.COM) WINE JOURNAL RESOURCES (HTTPS://WINEJOURNAL.ROBERTPARKER.COM) (/RESOURCES) RP CELLAR STORE (HTTPS://CELLAR.ROBERTPARKER.COM) (HTTP://STORE.ROBERTPARKER.COM/) Search for Advanced Search Wines Spain, Galicia: Ribeiro Renaissance? LUIS GUTIÉRREZ 28th Feb 2019 | The Wine Advocate (/articles/the-wine-advocate) | Issue 241 End of February 2019 (/articles/the-wine-advocate?issue=JDBdhErb5Dmie8eWW) Vintage Wines RP Contrary to what I’ve said about the Bierzo appellation, the governing bodies of the appellations of origin from Galicia seem to still be living in the past, and quality 2016 Rafael Palacios 98 Sorte O Soro producers find it increasingly more difficult to continue working with them. Quality producers are slowly dropping out, mostly in Ribeira Sacra, where two of their top 2017 Raúl Pérez El 96+ producers have now joined the list of people working outside the appellation of Pecado origin: none other than Fedellos do Couto and Envínate. 2017 Guímaro Finca 96+ Capeliños Rant Mode On 2016 Quinta da 96+ Fedellos do Couto and Envínate will both release their wines certified by an Muradella external entity in order to have more freedom about the work in their vineyards Fisterra and winery, as well as to avoid problems of their wines being rejected by the 2016 Envínate 96 appellation’s tasting panel. It might feel like the appellations only benefit Lousas Parcela Camiño Novo standardization of wines and production of volume rather than quality. I see it here and in many other places: The best producers have recurring problems as their wines get denied approval because they are not like the others. View All Wines (/search/wines? assignment=veqMrQCstx2xwzos7) These latest two defectors join the ranks of Daterra (Laura Lorenzo), Sílice and Raúl Pérez, all very relevant names releasing wines from the region but without the Ribeira Sacra denomination on their labels. Doesn’t the appellation see that they are losing the great publicity that these people would bring if their very successful wines carried the Ribeira Sacra label? The examples of Daterra and Sílice, who didn’t even bother trying and simply started without the appellation of origin for their wines from day one, seem to also be followed by other young new producers who are not ready to put up with all this nonsense. This is happening in Ribeira Sacra (the new scion from Fedellos do Couto), Ribeiro and elsewhere. I mention Ribeiro because this is where I’ve seen more new stuff this time and projects often (https://a-matter-of- eschewing the appellation’s back labels right from the beginning. taste.com) Many others have individual wines taken outside their DOs, as they know the wines would be refused and declared faulty or lacking typicity, while part of their portfolio remains with the appellation’s seal. I see this quite often in Rías Baixas. Other than that, the internal problems (there could be a soap opera based on the intricacies inside the Denominación de Origen Ribeiro) and the close link with politics, which seems to be stronger in Galicia than in the rest of Spain, paint a dismal portrait of our AOC system. Many of us think it should be championing the production of great wines and helping entrepreneurs who are putting their heart, time and money into producing quality wines that would carry the names of the regions across the globe. This is the sad picture that I have to paint over and over again about most of the appellations of origin in Spain. I’m going to try not to write too much about this anymore and instead focus on the positive things happening throughout the country, which are many. This continuous ranting gets really boring, both for you and for me. I think you already have a good idea of what’s happening with the appellations of origin in Spain: Things are not going well! But despite all that, life goes on, and there is no stopping for a movement that champions regional wines from organically farmed vineyards, produced in a respectful way with indigenous varieties that express the character of the place, grape and vintage. I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: yes, the places have the potential, but there’s a need for someone to understand, help realize that potential and carry it all the way into the bottle. In this pyramid that is quality wine, there aren’t that many top producers, and in many regions, they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. So when I found TWO new ones in Ribeiro, I was REALLY excited! Is Ribeiro Finally Taking Off? I wrote in my very first article about Galicia in late 2013 (https://www.robertparker.com/articles/9h4sKNqaTezna2MuW), “I believe in the high potential of Ribeiro, which was historically Spain's first internationally renowned wine region. But the appellation has not yet really fully recovered from the disasters of the 19th century—oidium, then mildew, then phylloxera. And it's about time.” So, has this time come now? The classical growers there, Luis Anxo Rodríguez and Emilio Rojo, were joined by more recent projects like El Paraguas Atlántico, but it was all quite slow and still dominated by the big cooperative. Viña Mein, one of the pioneers in the Avia Valley together with Vilerma and later José Luis Cuerda with his San Clodio, hired Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi and Fernando García from Comando G in Gredos as external advisors, and the wines made a complete U-turn. Why? The vineyards are now organically and biodynamically farmed, yields have been lowered and each vineyard is fermented separately. Some vines have been regrafted to traditional varieties, getting rid of Garnacha Tintorera, Palomino and other foreign grapes and lowering the amount of Godello, which they feel doesn't do well with in their warm-ish climate. They are also adding some old vineyards to reinforce some of their cuvées. The picture makes it feel like a brand new project, with different wines, labels and almost everything. This is what the Ribeiro vineyards used to look like. Now most of the old vineyards like this have disappeared, and there are only small plots here and there. This is in the classical zone of Leiro on the banks of the Avia River. Add to that other names like Bernardo Estévez, whose excellent wines I unfortunately couldn’t taste this time, Coto de Gomariz, Manuel Formigo, Viñedos do Gabian, José Estévez and Sameirás, and the picture doesn’t look too bad. It’s certainly much better than five years ago when I first reported on it. There are even a couple of new international projects, one from Matías Michelini from Argentina and the second from the Durigutti brothers, also from Argentina, with Italian winemaker Atilio Pagli. So the region is for sure catching the attention of many, and it feels like it’s definitely going to take off! Furthermore, it’s the only appellation of origin in Spain that has a separate category for small growers who make wine from their own vineyards: the colleiteiro. If in previous years I saw how new names made Ribeira Sacra live up to its reputation, I think now is the turning point for Ribeiro… Because on top of all this, this time I discovered two brand new names to add to the list of producers to follow: Augalevada and Cume do Avia. I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve found an impressive collection of wines from a new producer such as these from Augalevada in Ribeiro (but sold without appellation). A name to watch. I would say that Augalevada, whose full name is Fazenda Agrícola Augalevada, is one of the most interesting new projects in Ribeiro, Galicia and the whole of Spain. It's the brainchild of Iago Garrido Pascual, who settled in the village of Rioboó, on the banks of the Avia River, where he planted 2.9 hectares of vines in 2009. He works with used oak and clay vessels and produces wines of strong personality (some with a “natural” style) sold without the appellation of origin. He's also working with grapes from Rías Baixas and Ribeira Sacra to learn about those regions and their varieties. In general, he experiments quite a lot—some of the wines are better than others, and some experiences are more successful than others. I tend to like the whites better than the reds in his style. He's already regrafting some Treixadura to red varieties or other white grapes, as he feels he planted too much and needs more diversity. He produced only 8,500 bottles in 2017. Cume do Avia is also a very young project, as they planted their nine hectares of vineyards in 2008 and did their first vinification in 2013. In 2016, they produced their first vintage without any external help and 100% with their own grapes. It's a small family project owned and run by Álvaro and Diego Diéguez Collarte and Adolfo and Anxo Collarte Pérez in the Santo André (Eira dos Moros) zone. They planted 14 local grape varieties that they farm organically (certified from the beginning) along with some biodynamic practices. They have a wide portfolio of wines, and this is the first time that I tasted all they could provide, in order to understand their wines and what they are trying to do. They currently produce 15,000 to 20,000 bottles per year and hope to reach the 35,000 to 40,000 maximum in some five years.